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FDA moves to block radioactive food from Japan’s nuclear accident from reaching the U.S.

A young boy carries his allotment of food at a shelter after being evacuated from areas around the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant Sunday./AP Photo/Wally Santana

Late last night, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notified its field personnel that produce and milk coming from the region near Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants was testing at about five times acceptable radiation levels, based on Japanese data, due to contamination with radioactive iodine.

From the FDA alert:

Though radioactive iodine has a short half-life of about 8 days and decays naturally within a matter of weeks, there is a risk to human health if radioactive iodine in food is absorbed into the human body. If ingested, it can accumulate in and cause damage to the thyroid. Children and young people are particularly at risk of thyroid damage due to the ingestion of radioactive iodine.

As a result, the FDA said, its field personnel “may detain, without physical examination, the specified products from firms in the Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Gunma prefectures.”

Infant formula is among the products targeted by the FDA.

The products included milk, milk products, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
No mention of seafood.

According to Reuters, much of Japan’s exported food is consumed by customers in the United States:

Japan is a net importer of food, but it has substantial exports of fruits, vegetables, dairy products and seafood, of which the country exports around 200,000 tonnes per annum, according to the WHO.
The main markets for Japanese food products are Hong Kong, the United States and China, the WHO said.

The latest information from the World Health Organization suggests that rapidly degrading radioactive iodine isn’t the only concern.

Radioactive caesium has also been detected in some foods. The situation has to be monitored carefully as ingestion of food contaminated with radioactive caesium can also have long-term health effects.

Radioactive cesium’s half life is closer to 30 years, which means it’s dangerous for a much longer time.

The first reactions to the FDA’s late-night announcement are trickling in. From Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch:

This is a good start, but we believe they should go further and block imports from the whole country. Foods imported from Japan made up less than 4% of all foods imported by the U.S. last year, according to the FDA. But the majority of the foods that we do import from there—fish and processed foods—could be affected by this disaster. On a good day, less than 2 percent of seafood imported into the U.S. is inspected. Radioactive water in processed foods would also be a potential concern. There is no safe level of exposure to radiation, in food or in water. We should be doing our best to prevent such exposures in the first place.”